 Let's learn together: (20mins.

 Find a partner(seatmate)

 Describe your context: family(practices), religion,

and environment(the place where you live
including your neighbor).

 Talk about how are you defined by your

context?(Prepare to share the pair-output)
 Our context defines ourself, our
character, and our values.
 Philippines, “Damage Culture”
- James Fallows essay in the Atlantic Monthly,
1987

underdevelopment, corruption, poverty

- Follows added; “we can thrive individually, but

only when we are away from this culture,
when we are abroad.”
-Angeles explained the reason behind these
unlikely Filipino behavior by citing the
Philippine social, economic, and political
context.
- Collectivism is one of Asian traits. This means that
Asians are naturally connected and loyal to
the family and friends. As a Filipino, our
relations to these groups are integral to our
self-definition. We determine our identity by
tracing our family's roots and achievement.
- We are physically rooted in the places where we
grew up because this is where we get our sense
of security.

e.g. “paryente nako na.”

However, this cultural value, which is important in
our personal relations create havoc when
applied to public governance.

Why?

The family is often the priority, especially since the

commitment of family members protects us
from uncertainties of life. Further, in country
like Philippines where gov't. failed to provide
basic needs, the more familial we become.
Hence, our care for relationships(families and
friends) is expected to overide the principles
of fairness and justice.

The leaders molded in this culture are easily

tempted to choose the interest of family and
clan over the abstract common good that the
gov't. is mandated to provide.
 Every culture is constantly evolving.

 Filipinos are not ethically numb.

 We have the moral courage(KATAPANGANG

MORAL) to stop unethical practices and to
determindly start doing what is ethical by way of
both structural and person-focused reform.

e.g. -Anti-corruption Campaign of Aquino Admin.

-Drug and Corruption Campaign of Duterte
Admin.
Reyes in his article “Man and Historical Action”
argued that “We (man)are historical products, a
man of destiny in the sense that we are born
product of certain historical forces and we cannot
change that. Accepting that point of destiny is also
realizing that we have task and responsibility.”
The point is this:
“Man is a product of a crosspoint of events.”

 Physical Lines- We did not design ourselves.

 Interpersonal Lines- Our personality are a fruit of
intersecting personal lines
coming together in us(family,
friends, peers, neighbor)
 Social Lines- We are a product of many events in
the past beyond our control(Spanish
Past, American Past, Japanese-
Occupation Past)
 Historical Lines- We emerge in a certain period, a
certain point and it is not within
our control.
“Throwness”
 At a certain point, we live according to certain set
of practices inherited from your family and from
your society in an unconscious way. Then, at a
certain point, we become conscious of these
practices that have been accepted in the past.
Now, we want to make them more authentic, more
personal, more dependent upon our own
deliberate decision.

 a person of meaning. EXISTential Task.

-the meaning of our life will depend on our
response to that destiny life has placed in us.
 In other words, both Angeles and Reyes argued

that our context define ourself, our character, and

our values. But, being conscious of these
influences will help us go beyond...